Olympic Triathlete Gold Medalist Eats a High Fat Diet that Includes Coconut Oil

Some days, even gold medallist Simon Whitfield has to trick himself into running.

The Olympic triathlete trains more times in a week than there are days, and admits there are moments he’d really rather lay around.

Whitfield — who has already qualified for the Games — is poised to become one of only a handful of triathletes to compete in all four Olympics since the sport made its debut in 2000. That was the year Whitfield, who turned 37 this month, won gold, despite crashing his bike with five others.

He’s also taken home silver in Beijing in 2008 and has 12 World Cup wins.

When it comes to his training regime, Whitfield is of the whatever-works-for-you school.

Make no mistake, he’s very disciplined — eating the same bowl of hemp hearts and chia seeds in the morning, unless it’s “Boring Porridge” day — but he doesn’t believe in arbitrary rules.

Diet is a big part of what fuels him. When Whitfield was younger, he used to carb-load and avoid all fat. Now he eats a lot of healthy fats such as olive and coconut oil, and a post-workout eggs, beans and bacon feast.